Digital images are becoming an increasingly popular form of info-imaging. One reason for this popularity is the ease with which users can manipulate, edit, alter and enhance such digital images after capture. For example, users often use manual digital imaging and editing tools, such as the crop and zoom tools provided in the Kodak Picture CD software sold by Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y., U.S.A., to improve the appearance of digital images. These image editing tools allow a user to limit the image content of an image to emphasize important elements in the image. Other image editing, sorting and other tools can also be usefully applied to portions of images that a user considers to be important after the image has been captured. However, photographers typically make area of importance designations using such tools only on selected images during the post capture phase.
It is often useful to associate an area of interest determination with an image at the time that an image is captured, shared or stored. Building such an association at the time of image capture or during use allows the image to be processed, stored, sorted, and/or shared in a manner that is determined at least in part based upon with the area of importance information. Further, to the extent that that a such a designation can be made in a simple fashion at capture there is a greater likelihood that the photographer will make such a designation for more images and that such designations will be more accurate. In addition, with the increased use of digital cameras and other display devices that enable images to be captured or otherwise obtained, and immediately transmitted a remote recipient, what many users also desire a simple and effective means for manually designating what is important in an image that can be quickly and efficiently executed.
Automatic and semi-automatic image processing and editing algorithms are known. These can be applied to enhance the appearance of a digital image while requiring little user input. These automatic and semi-automatic image processing algorithms analyze the content of an image and apply various assumptions about what a user would likely find to be important elements of an image.
In a first example of an automatic algorithm, large oval shaped objects having color that approximates known flesh tones can be assumed to be important to the user. The degree of presumed importance can be increased where, for example, the large oval face shaped objects are positioned near the center of an image. See for example, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,317, entitled “Method For Automatic Determination of Main Subjects in Photographic Images” filed by Luo et al. on Dec. 31, 1998. Other algorithms use frequency analysis of the digital data that forms digital images to identify elements of an image that are considered to be of greater importance. Such algorithms make assumptions about what is important in an image based upon analysis of the visual elements of the captured image. See for example commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/176,805 entitled “Determining Portions of a Digital Image Which are In Focus” filed by Erkkilea et al. on Oct. 22, 1998.
In still another example of an automatic system is described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/303,978, entitled, “Digital Imaging System With Eye Monitoring” filed Nov. 25, 2002, by Miller et al. This application describes an image capture system having an eye monitoring system that stores eye information including eye gaze direction information during an image capture sequence and associates the eye information with an image captured during the image capture sequence. In certain embodiments, context information is also captured with the eye information. The context information is also associated with the image. The eye monitoring system described therein is useful for its intended purpose and has broad application. However, some consumers prefer not to use eye monitoring systems.
In a further example of an automatic system is described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/324,489, entitled “Imaging Method and System For Determining An Area Importance In An Archival Image” filed by Fredlund on Dec. 20, 2002. In this application an imaging system is provided having an image source operable to obtain evaluation images and an original image. A controller causes the image source to obtain a set of evaluation images and an original image. A signal processor compares the evaluation images and the original image to identify portions of the original image that are common to all of the captured images. The signal processor stores area of importance data identifying the portions of the original image that correspond to the common portions and associates the area of importance data with the original image.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,154 entitled “Image Revising Camera and Method” filed by Parulski et al. on Jul. 17, 2001 also describes an automatic method wherein a camera stores an original image in a memory and analyzes image to determine a plurality of parameters. The parameters are matched to one or more of a plurality of editorial suggestions to define a suggestion set. One of the potential set of suggestions includes a change in the active area of the original image that is incorporated into a final print. In this camera, the change in active area is suggested to the camera operator who can, in turn select or reject the suggested change.
While such automatic algorithms are often very useful, some users prefer to manually designate areas of importance in an image. Accordingly, a variety of cameras provide compositional suggestions to users that intend to limit an image to a include important information.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,049 entitled “Camera that records and Active Image Area Identifier With an Image” filed by Moghadam et al. on Nov. 30, 1995, describes a camera that includes an image receiver for capturing an image of an object, an optical section for directing image light from the object to the image receiver, and a viewfinder for viewing the object prior to capture together with a tile pattern for specifying active hotspot areas in the viewed image. The tile pattern in the viewfinder is composed of a plurality of individual tile areas that are visible through viewfinder together with the image of the object. The camera further includes means for designating one or more individual tile areas and active areas of the image, and means for recording a location all the active areas in a memory location that is accessible to act apparatus external to the camera. The '049 patent describes a digital camera embodiment having a thumbwheel switch which acts either as a tile pattern selection switch for selecting a particular pattern to be stored in a pattern memory or a tile area designation switch for selectively sequentially highlighting one or more of the stored tile area patterns, until a desired active area is highlighted. A hotspot selection switch is engaged to select one of the designated hotspot areas. The '049 patent, thus is used to designate an area of a captured original image that can be used to perform a function of a hotspot which can be integrated with integration of a display device, presentation system or an HTML browsing system.
In another example of a manual system, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,738, entitled “Pre-processing Image Editing” filed by Petruchik et al., describes a film camera that includes electronic display. The electronic display is provided with the driver that the presents movable markers to frame and edit the electronically displayed image. Electronic manipulation of the markers provides for zooming and cropping the image, as well as changing the image format and recording horizontal or vertical orientation. The control that records editing data on the film in a predetermined position relative to the exposed scene image. The camera includes an input for selecting print format from a predetermined set of print formats, each having a predetermined size and aspect ratio, and control limits the frame formats to those that are consistent with the selecting print format. A variety of controls and user inputs facilitate the process of selecting and forming the image. These controls permit the camera user to have great flexibility in editing.
Similarly commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,779, entitled “Photographic System With Selected Area Image Authentication” filed by Squilla et al. on Apr. 14, 1997, describes a public key encryption system for authenticating an image. The encryption system comprises means for generating one or more patterns each composed of at least one individual area that is visible together with the image of the object, means for designating at least one individual area as an active area of the image suitable for authentication and for generating location data identifying the active area. In one form, a single grid pattern can be used in which a tile area designation switch is used for cycling through the tile areas and highlighting one tile area after the other to form a user customizable tile pattern. The tile pattern is composed of a number of intersecting lines which define the individual tile areas, one or more of which may be designated as an active area for purposes of securing the image. In the course of deciding which tile areas should become active areas, one or more tile areas are highlighted for consideration. Alternatively, a tile pattern selection switch can be used to select a particular preformed tile pattern having a preformed highlighted area indicating the area to be used. A security service switch is used to designate a particular arrangement of highlighted tile areas or a preformed tile pattern.
In still another example of a manual system, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/292,235, entitled “User Interface for Controlling Cropping In An Electronic Camera”, filed by Brost on Nov. 12, 2002, describes a camera system that captures an image and presents a light image based upon the captured image. A cropper is disposed in the camera and is switchable among a plurality of settings. Each setting has a different rectangular cross-sectioned window in the viewfinder. A cropping controller is operatively connected to the capture unit and to the cropper. The cropping control has a cropping input element that is accessible external to the body. The cropping input element is movable between first and second opposed cropping control positions to change the settings. The cropping control positions define a cropping control axis that is perpendicular to an optical axis of the capture unit. This approach provides a simplified control structure to allow adjustment of borders for use in cropping an image and provides a useful and commercially viable way to select from among a rage of cropped images, each centered on a scene image.
In another example of this type, cameras that comply with the Advanced Photographic System standards are typically capable of capturing images using a first format having an aspect ratio that corresponds to the aspect ratio of a high definition television and that allow a user to record a signal on the film indicating that a print made from the captured image is to be rendered in the high definition format, in a so-called classic format or a so-called panoramic format. When the classic or panoramic formats are selected, the photofinisher uses a cropped portion of the captured image each centered with respect to the high definition image and each having a different aspect ratio.
What is needed therefore is a display device such as a digital or hybrid camera, Personal Digital Assistant or any other system capable of presenting an electronic image that also has a user interface system that enables rapid and simplified manual designation of an area of importance within a captured image to provide an output from which it can easily be determined which portion of the image has been designated.
It will be appreciated that any system that enables even a modest a reduction in the number of key strokes or user input actions required to execute such a designation is particularly useful because it makes it more likely that a user will make a designation. Accordingly, a further need exists for a display device and a method for enabling a manual designation of an area of importance in an image that is adapted to reduce the overall amount of effort required by the user of a display device to identify an area of importance in the image.
Still another need is for a system that presents evaluation images that allow a user to quickly and more easily to see what is contained in a portion of the image being considered by the user for use in determining an area of importance.